Joystiq's Top 10 Games of 2009

by Ludwig Kietzmann on Jan 1st 2010 1:30PM

Actually, it's more like Joystiq's Top 3 of 2009, followed by Joystiq's Top 7 That Were Left In The Dust By Said Top 3. We agonized over the bottom seven choices, trading positions just as we traded tantrums and highly unprofessional insinuations with each other, but nobody on the Joystiq staff could muster a reasonable argument against 2009's three best games. Probably because they were too busy being completely wrong about something in the lower seven and honestly how could you pick that game I can't believe I have to work with someone like this on a day-to-day basis.

Perhaps it's best to step away from emotion and simply focus on the facts behind our overall top 10:

Contains 60 percent new IP!
Features 20 percent downloadable content!
Can be summarized in four bullet points!
Includes five platform-exclusive titles!

If you want to continue reading about good games throughout the day, keep checking back as we'll be publishing each staff member's personal picks for 2009. Many of them will also be wrong.

10. A miniature monarchy >> | Shortcut to the end >>>

Tags: Microsoft, Nintendo, Wii, Xbox-360

Reader Comments (241)

A better list than last year's by far. More variety than just your stock PS360 games like it was last year.

The lack of Scribblenauts i suppose is the greatest surprise.

I'm pretty happy with this list, I at least agree that they are all great games!

My top 3 pick would have to be:

1. Uncharted 2
2. Batman
3. MW2

Not one mention of Demon's Souls in this or ANY of the best of the rest?

Love is over, Joystiq. Love is over.

I've own(ed) half of the games on the list. I'd say that's pretty good considering I only have a 360.

That being said I think MW2 should be higher up on that list.

I expected NSMB Wii, Killzone 2, and Demon's Soul on that list, but it's still a great list.

yeah i would have put demon souls and super mario bros. wii on the list. and killzone 2 was kickass deserved some attention too. i would have taken splosion man, little king story and put them on the list instead. i have Batman:AA, uncharted 2, modern warfare 2,and infamous from this list and i'm now looking to get me some assassins creed 2 and borderlands now!

oh yeah demon souls was gamespots game of the year, but i think they just did that for attention really.

Good to see Uncharted 2 where it deserved to be. Was happy inFamous got some love too. For me, 'Splosion Man was so dull and dissapointing, I really think some better games could have got the nod over that.

No love for The Saboteur and Trine? Weak sauce.

But let's give an honorable mention to a 2008 title. Right. That works.

At any rate, decent list.

Great list. U2 was easily my goty, with BAA a close second.

Everybody loves donuts, I love 'em too

Good list. Your top 3 can all switch places and i'd still say it's a great list. The perfect top 5 would put inFamous at the number 4 spot and MW2 in the fifth spot. I enjoyed Killzone 2 more than I am enjoying MW2.

Batman is definitely a graphical masterpiece on the PC. I cringed when I saw it on the 360 and PS3 hooked up to the same LCD.

Anyway, this list renewed my faith in Joystiq.....

You are right..I did enjoy KZ2 more than MW2...i thought the Multiplayer was a lot more balanced and the singleplayer campaign was one of the better ones I have played this year. Its not as epic as Halo, but its much better than any other shooter out there in 2009.

I felt they just wanted to push MW2 in holiday 2009 timeframe so they took disjointed scenarios and made a single player game out of it..

Pretty good list, though I'd definitely remove Little King's Story and Splosion Man and then insert Killzone 2 and New Super Mario Bros Wii.

My list would of course be different, as everyones would be, but I think these are some great picks. I haven't played Assassins Creed II yet but I really need to.
My list:

1. Uncharted 2
2. Shadow Complex
3. Batman Arkham Asylum.
4. MW2
5. Forza 3
6. Shatter

I was kind of disappointed by Uncharted 2 and I'm surprised Joystiq didn't find the same things wrong with it as I did. Of course it's a good game (that I was very excited about), but it was just eh at times. Too much of the same thing...and while it was amazing on a technical scale, it didn't have that fresh magic that the first Uncharted had (although I think that the second game is far better).

If the third Uncharted does more to switch up the gameplay, makes a story that isn't so cheesy-action-thriller-esque, and doesn't always build tension by having people hang from cliffs...it will most likely be perfect.

Yes, the next Uncharted should be an underwater love story told through static black and white photos and poetry. They should also switch up the gameplay; instead of shooting, platforming, stealth, melee and puzzle solving all executed brilliantly it should be a card based tower defense game using the eyetoy.

See people like you are the problem here. You guys will make fun of and downvote anyone who doesn't love Uncharted 2. Like when I was asked what my top 10 was and it was downvoted because it didn't have Uncharted 2 in it.

Firstly Happy New Year.

I just wanted to say this, maybe Joystiq should have 2 categories for game of the year.

1. Game of the Year for downloadable titles and top 10

2. Game of the Year for big budget proper release games (AAA) and top 10

The editors are completely entitled to their opinion, I do understand this.

But to put splosion man on the list and to not put

Daemons Souls
KillZone 2
Forza
etc

On there is strange there is a big difference between something like Shadow Complex / Splosion Man to the amount of money and time spent developing these big budget titles its basically saying dont bother these throw-away downloadable games are better.. Sure they are fun but game of the year top 10 ?

Maybe it would be better to split off into two distinct sections..

1. Big Budget blockbuster titles

2. Indie / Downloadable games.

That way great games get a mention in 2 distinct categories. Just a thought anyway..

Thanks you Joystiq, this is the first top 10 that I have read that has got the order right!

And I am so thankfut that MW2 is not in Top 5. The multiplayer in MW2 is too unbalanced.

And thanks for including inFamous, the most fun game I played this year (except apart from UC2)

Only gripe...i think Demon Souls, should have made top 10..its just way too good.

Games for 2010 I am most hyped... Halo Reach (more Spartans..hell yeah), God of Wae III (Kratos FTW), Gears 3 (??? please), Heavy Rain

Pretty decent list, like a few others, I'm surprised about InFamous getting on there... I can't even force myself through the game, none of the missions are very exciting or meaningful, and they tend to be quite repetitive as well.

I fully agree, also there were too many glitches with the game it needed more attention to detail.

Not surprising considering it's just the bloggers on this sites collective opinion. From my understanding they all submit a list of games and then they get averaged together. So, if one of two people had it high on their list it'd make the overall top 10 by virtue. Not only that but it is a really quality title. Still, I think that Killzone 2 is a better game overall.

I don't have a problem with the list. I didn't play some of the games but anytime you boil an entire years catalogue of games on multiplatforms to 10 titles there will be games left out. Uncharted & Assassins Creed 2 were 1 & 1A for me this year.

i dont see a major problem with the list although i would have put a racing game in the list.

Glaring omissions:

Demon's Souls
Left4Dead2
Plants vs Zombies

By Far uncharted 2 was the best game. Too bad it was only on the PS3, anyone can get into this game.

Its a good reason for people to start buying PS3s. I've had mine since launch. But of all my friends I've been the sole PS3 owner until just a couple weeks ago one of them FINALLY bought a PS3. Sadly the motivation was highly revolved around Blu-ray. But he interested in MGS4. Understandable. Otherwise, every single one of them has at least one XBOX 360. The ratio is pretty crazy.

Batman
Uncharted 2
Assassin's Creed 2

woooooo

So apparently, everybody at joystiq hated Demon's Souls (either that or didn't play it).

It's a little surprising to see it not make any lists.

Also, Red Faction seems to be a game that sorely needs to be picked up, I suppose, since it's on alot of joystiq's lists conversely. I hope it's dropped below the $40 price point.

its fun, but the controls are a little clunky. def worth at least a rental

I think I might pick it up, I didn't enjoy the demo, but maybe because I didn't give it enough time.

Honestly, batman was good, but not that good...
I find that sure, as a superhero game it is really at the top of its class, however superhero games in general arent very good. I found myself drawn away from it by other games.

as for Infamous vs Killzone, killzone was very pretty, dont get me wrong, but the story sucked and in general it was nowhere near as fun as infamous. infamous got a lot of things right, story, voice acting, etc. the only complaint is glitchieness and problematic trigger points

Havent played MW2, so i cant comment there, i just never found MW all that fun.

I would probably put something like
1.Uncharted 2
2. Assassins creed 2
3. Borderlands

NSMB Wii is a 2d platformer which, other than multiplayer, brings nothing new to the table. With a whopping 70 something levels (94 if you count Toad Houses and the like, which Nintendo does) and the graphics of a DS game, it's a sure bet for GOTY.

Sarcasm, since most of you seem incapable of recognizing it. NSMB Wii is a testament to how lazy Nintendo is becoming, and I for one find it unacceptable.

But how many games do we have like it these days? Good 2D games are fairly rare these days and I'm personally glad they made NSMBW. Also, to be fair, how many other top games this years really do anything truly new?

Assassin's Creed should be number 7 or 8 other than that, good list.;

Wow, MW2 at #6, interesting! How much hate mail you got now Joystiq? Props for putting Uncharted 2 at #1...bold move, good move.

Where's Demons Souls?

Good list but your hate for left 4 dead 2 annoys me.

I agree about Left 4 Dead 2. I have way more fun with this game (PC version) than I did with Infamous. Which I thought nothing more than a repetitious open (small) world game with a bunch of simplistic mini games.
But than again these lists are based solely on personal opinion.

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Joystiq's Top 10 Games of 2009

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